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USG Ishimura
The USG ''Ishimura'' (石村) , named after astrophysicist and inventor of the ShockPoint Drive Hideki Ishimura, was the flagship of the Concordance Extraction Corporation and the first Planet Cracker-class ship. The Ishimura was also the first vessel of its size to utilize the ShockPoint Drive for large-scale commercial and deep space expeditions. History Design Built in 2446, the Ishimura was hailed as the savior of Earth and the colonies, and a symbol of Mankind's innovation. She was created for mining and smelting entire planets and moons. She was also the first ship capable of the "scan and catch technique" for harvesting mineral-rich asteroids using huge gravity tethers. The Ishimura had the ability to lock onto asteroids and pull them into her massive collection bays for smelting. Despite being designed primarily as a mining vessel, the Ishimura also functioned as a medical research vessel. She had a dedicated medical wing, where extensive research into virology, toxins and genetics was conducted. Discovery of the Red Marker At the time the Red Marker was discovered on Aegis VII, the Ishimura was 62 years old. She was still in remarkable shape, with much of her equipment upgraded and many sections refitted to take advantage of continuing advances in technology. Despite her long years of service, the Ishimura was still the pride of the CEC fleet, along with her venerable prestige as the largest Planet Cracker-class ship. When the CEC learned of Aegis VII Colony's discovery, the Ishimura was dispatched to recover the Marker and transport it back to Earth. Upon arriving at Aegis VII, the Ishimura's commanding officer and devout Unitologist Captain Matthius gave a no-fly order with the exception that the Marker, all related data and corpses be moved to the Ishimura. Once this was accomplished, the crew of the Ishimura began planet crack operations, with the cover put in place to hide their true agenda. Coinciding with the planet crack, the Ishimura briefly lost all contact with the colony. Once contact was re-established, the crew discovered that the entire colony had been slaughtered. Further contact with one of the mining teams revealed nothing of the colony's fate, as they were soon killed themselves. Several survivors attempted to reach the Ishimura using the colony's remaining shuttles. After navigating through the debris field created by the planet crack, the shuttles were fired upon by the Ishimura's ADS cannons for violating the no-fly order. Two shuttles successfully reached the Ishimura; the first, flown by Colin Barrow, crash landed into the hangar bay. The second, flown by Gabe Weller, crash landed on the hull near the Crew Deck. Infestation Unknown to Barrow, an Infector had boarded his shuttle and infected his wife's corpse. After Barrow was killed and his shuttle crashed, Jennifer Barrow and the Infector escaped into the Ishimura's ventilation system before security could arrive. The Infector made its way to the morgue, where it changed at least twenty corpses into creatures which then made their way into the ship. The crew were attacked by the creatures while on their daily routines. There were only a few reported incidents at first, but word of the danger quickly spread throughout the Ishimura within a short time. Some men and women had jobs that they were forced to continue, despite the obvious danger, in order to keep the ship stabilized, but these stalwart crew members did not last long, and the ship slowly began to malfunction as an effect of nobody monitoring it. It finally became obvious that the entire crew was in danger, as order around the ship vanished. Decks that the creatures did not reach yet barricaded themselves off and made stopgaps to hold back the creatures when they attacked. Unfortunately, most of the decks were caught unprepared, simply presenting easy kills for the Necromorphs and leaving said decks utterly devoid of life. The Bridge, as well as the Medical and Mining decks, reportedly held out the longest; the Medical deck was completely overwhelmed with badly injured survivors, to the point where the medical staff barricaded the injured outside. The injured personnel were killed by the Necromorphs, and the creatures eventually breached the barricades and slaughtered any remaining medical staff. The Mining Deck, where wandering survivors rallied, lasted longer as a result of its endurance, but was eventually overrun by Necromorphs emerging from the ship's vent system. The Bridge was the last deck to be overrun; the remaining bridge crew, security, and officers made a last stand with their weapons, but, like the Mining Deck, the Bridge survivors were undone by the vent system, which provided easy access for the Necromorph hordes. To make matters worse, an unknown force jettisoned the ship's complement of escape shuttles, leaving the remaining crew trapped onboard the Ishimura with no way out. As a last desperate resort, Dr. Kyne disengaged the ship's engines, causing the ship to begin a slow descent towards the planet, in the vain hopes that it would burn up in the atmosphere and kill everything inside. Chief Security Officer Alissa Vincent intercepted him and tried to stabilize the engines in a bid to rescue the remaining survivors, but failed and instead sacrificed herself to launch a distress signal into space. ''Kellion's'' arrival It was at this point that the USG Kellion Shockpointed in, in response to the Ishimura's distress signal, beginning the events of Dead Space. Many of the areas of the ship were covered in Necromorph biomass or otherwise damaged; resulting in failures in the ship's life support, automated systems, and artificial gravity. Nearly all of the exterior lights were also inactive due to loss of main power. The ship's self-destruct was offline, as well as most other ship systems. The only viable way to scuttle the ship was to disengage the engines and allow the planet crack load to pull the Ishimura ''into the planet. Throughout the events of the game, trying to survive was the main goal, but to survive Isaac had to repair parts of the ship in some levels, demonstrating that while the vessel was in a deplorable condition, it may yet be saved. The ''Ishimura was last seen in Dead Space when Isaac departed towards Aegis VII with the Marker in the Executive Shuttle; it was not seen following the colony's eventual destruction. Post-Aegis VII Incident After the destruction of Aegis VII, the Ishimura was thrown out of orbit into deep space, apparently never to be seen again.[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Space-Retribution-Christopher-Shy/dp/1600108156 Dead Space: Retribution, plot summary] The Earth Government falsified the details of the Ishimura's destruction, claiming that the ship was lost to a terrorist attack. The Ishimura was commemorated by the government and the CEC, keeping the public oblivious to the ship's real fate to avoid widespread panic and chaos. [http://deadspace.ea.com/en_us/home#flash/mediaid=beat1posterswf-20100426063325986 DeadSpace 2, Remember the Ishimura] Recovery by the Magpies After Isaac's departure from the Ishimura, it drifted aimlessly within the Aegis system. When a group known as the Magpies, led by Jessica Li and Stefan Schneider, were using a shockring to transport minerals, the Ishimura was caught by its event horizon. It was transported to the Magpie's position, destroying their Nest. They stabilized the vessel with gravity tethers and boarded the Ishimura to salvage it, finding the ship in bad shape. It had been bombarded by asteroids, destroying entire decks; oxygen was leaking out and severely depleted, the ship's ShockPoint Drive was severely damaged, and most of the power and artificial gravity was gone due to the damage sustained by the engineering deck. Only emergency power and a few auxiliaries were still functional. Quarantine lockdowns were in effect all over the ship and the Corruption had covered almost everything. It was apparently deserted, so the Magpies embarked on an expedition through the ship, with the intention to recover any valuable equipment. However, following the discovery of several shards of the Red Marker on the outside hull, order collapsed. One of the crew, Malyech, assaulted his fellow salvager Li over the fate of the shards, and had to be confined. Another crewman, Venschiff, was apparently driven mad by the Marker and attacked fellow salvager Schneider, only to be killed in the ensuing struggle. Copland, Malyech's assistant, left the Ishimura with a shard, planning to betray them to the Earth Government in exchange for a deal. The worst, however, was yet to come. As the Earth Defense Force and the Oracles, a group of unknown alignment, closed in on the Magpies' positions, the Necromorphs reawakened all over the ship and attacked the Magpies, a conflict that left Schneider as the sole survivor. The EDF squad was tricked by him to land in the cargo bay, where they were all slaughtered by Necromorphs. Schneider attempted to escape, but the Oracles pursued him, forcing them into a confrontation outside the ship. They were interrupted by a new Hive Mind, but it was dispatched by the Oracles. Schneider escaped the fight through a hatch while the Oracles were killed by the Necromorphs. Schneider recovered their weapons and made his way to the Oracles' stealth shuttle, notifying the Earth Government of the Ishimura's location before shocking out to an unknown destination and leaving the Ishimura behind. EarthGov ships supposedly shocked in not long after and recovered the Ishimura, bringing it to the Sprawl. The Sprawl Sometime between the three years Isaac Clarke had been interred on Titan Station, otherwise known as the Sprawl, the USG Ishimura was docked there, and EarthGov engaged in a thorough cleanup and refit operation within the ship, ostensibly to wipe out all evidence of the Necromorph infestation. Late in Dead Space 2, Isaac reentered the Ishimura, planning to use its powerful gravity tethers to reconnect a damaged space track. Isaac learned that his mission was to journey to the engineering deck to make operable the gravity centrifuge (which had been in the process of being upgraded when the Necromorph outbrake on Titan Station began). Once that was done, Isaac headed to the bridge using a tram car. However, due to an obstruction in the tunnel, he was forced to route through the medical deck. After fighting off numerous Necromorphs and moving through a tram tunnel without gravity, he finally arrived at the bridge. He activated the gravity tethers in order to pull the space track together. The ship was still undergoing its cleanup and refit at the time of the Sprawl Necromorph outbreak, and was in a battered yet somewhat recovered state. Protective materials had been deployed over walls, ventilation ducts, and other areas. UV lighting illuminated blood smeared within numerous hallways. Lighting and other systems were also damaged. EarthGov also reinstalled several escape pods in the Bridge section, which Isaac used to exfiltrate the ship and return to the Sprawl. Among several other reinstalltions, several updated Stores were put in place, likely so that workers could supply themselves if needed while they were working on the ship. Eventual Fate The Ishimura's ultimate state following the explosion of Titan Station is ultimately unknown, but it would not be unreasonable to assume its destruction along with the station, as the explosion was extremely large. However, no overriding evidence was presented. Ship Sections Bridge The Bridge was the control room from where the Ishimura was navigated and monitored. It consisted of several sections: the Atrium, the main part of the bridge of the Ishimura; the Captain's Nest, which was Captain Matthius' personal observation area; Administration, where the ship's section leaders worked; and Communications/External Access, where the Comm Array was located. The various sections were serviced by elevators accessed from the Atrium. Escape pods were located outside the Captain's Nest. The Captain's Nest itself was a restricted area, and only officers holding the rank of Class 5 were allowed to enter. The controls were all holographic, and various stations with holographic displays were present throughout the Bridge. When Isaac entered the main atrium, all displays read "System Failure", a reflection of the ship's overall state. Crew Deck The residential area of the ship, and a large deck housing numerous sleeper bunks, a mess hall, a Zero-G basketball court and several small lounges containing chairs and sofas placed around a large holographic display, possibly for means of entertainment. The Executive Lounge and Executive Quarters were located here, as was the Executive Shuttle. Isaac arrived at this deck in order to power up the Executive Shuttle using a Singularity Core. He encountered numerous difficulties, such as misplaced Navigation cards and a lockdown of Block B. Engineering Deck The section of the Ishimura where in various engineers worked at maintaining the ship. This area was responsible for ensuring the correct function of the ship's ShockPoint Drive, gravity centrifuge, and the navigation rockets, as well as a continual lifting capacity of 525 trillion kilotons. The area was noted for being very dangerous, as only Class 5 Engineers were allowed entry. Unlike other ship areas such as the Bridge and Medical Deck, Engineering was very dark and industrial, with exposed and dangerous machinery on display. It was divided into three primary areas: *'Gravity Centrifuge Access:' A large chamber that held the Gravity Centrifuge, which kept the Ishimura ''stable. During the time of the Titan Station outbreak, the Gravity Centrifuge was in the process of being upgraded. *'Fuel Storage:' A large compartment for the titular purpose, Fuel Storage was separated into two sections by a mini-tram. This area fed fuel into the engines, and was dominated by a large rotating ring of fuel cells and the main fuel line. This was by far the darkest area of the deck. *'Engine Room:' A large facility that proudly displayed the ''Ishimura's immense engines, several hundred feet in diameter. Flight Deck Location of the main hangars where shuttles would enter and leave the Ishimura. Contains a fully equipped departure/arrival lounge and has access to the cargo bay, allowing materials to be loaded into shuttles for transport. The Executive Shuttle Docking Bay connects to this, as well as the Cargo Bay. The Ishimura has multiple docking bays situated all over the ship for shuttles of various sizes, ranging from the massive main hangar bay where the Kellion crashes to smaller mining shuttle bays such as Docking Bay 17, where the Necromorph infection came on board the Ishimura. Hydroponics Deck The Ishimura's internal farm which produces the food needed to feed the many workers aboard the ship as well as providing a sustainable production of oxygen. It is typically maintained by horticulturists such as Elizabeth Cross, who monitored the production levels of the food. This Deck came under trouble when the Leviathan grew into food storage and began polluting the air. A massive area, it spans the entire top portion of the Ishimura's two cargo towers and is divided into 2 primary sections: the multi-level Vegetation Growth Chambers and the centrally located cylindrical Food Storage chamber. Directly before food storage is the air quality control and ventilation system, the Station features a large Hologram screen and controls that indicate air production, ventilation, and filtration systems. Maintenance Deck This Deck is where maintenance is performed on shuttles and maintenance shuttles are docked. These hangars can be manually opened in the event of their Control Rooms sustaining damage. The only notable location on this Deck is Shuttle Bay 47 which contained Maintenance Shuttle 23.Dead Space: Extraction: Chapter 8: In The Hearts Of Men Medical Deck The Medical Deck of the Ishimura contains various facilities including: Zero-G Therapy, an Intensive Care Unit, Imaging and Diagnostics, Biolab, Cryo-Lab, Chemical Lab, Morgue and also various research areas and offices of the scientists aboard the ship. The deck is serviced by two trams: one at the main entrance, and one at the Cryo Storage entrance. The Medical Deck is divided into three areas: Emergency Ward, Imaging and Diagnostics and the Research Wing. Dr. Kyne's office is located in the Research Wing's ground floor, while Dr. Mercer's is located in the Emergency Ward. Before the infestation, the medical deck was one of the brightest areas on the ship with virtually all lighting in the medical areas being a vivid white. In Dead Space 2 Isaac will once again have to traverse through here once the tram encounters an obstruction. Mining Deck The heart of the Ishimura, this is where asteroids and planet fragments are broken apart and melted for valuable minerals. A 4-level deck, it is by far the largest deck on the Ishimura. Asteroids are brought in via an entrance on the third level and held in place by gravity tethers. Ore Storage Deck Directly below Hydroponics, this deck was where valuable ore extracted from operations on the Mining Deck was stored in large containment cylinders. In the game, it is the area the [[USM Valor|USM Valor]] crashes into, thus the entire deck is basically destroyed when Isaac arrives. The Ore Storage area is instead dominated by the wreck of the Valor. The deck is essentially a gigantic room in zero gravity, although it is one of the smallest in the game. Subsections and Systems *'Asteroid Defense System (ADS)' :A large fixed Array of Mass Drivers were used onboard many Planet Cracker-class ships. The primary goal of this system is to track and destroy asteroids automatically, preventing potentially damaging collisions with the ship itself. However, in the event that a part of the Asteroid Defence System goes offline, a crew member is recquired to manually control an offline ADS Cannon. *'Computer Core' :The Computer Core is the central processing area for the Ishimura's databanks. It allows remote locking and unlocking of various areas, remote disengaging of the ship's engines, as well as allowing access to the ship's library. Kendra Daniels barricades herself here after she and Hammond were attacked by a Leaper. *'Descontamination Chambers' :These chambers can be found throughout the ship protecting important areas such as the Gravity Centrifuge on the Engineering Deck. The purpose of these stations is to cleanse workers of any bacteria and small debris that could contaminate these areas. *'Emergency Shuttles' :Due to the Ishimura's task as a mining ship and its frequent danger, the ship was equipped with a large compliment of escape shuttles which could be used to evacuate the ship in an emergency. The escape shuttles count numbers at fifty, with a capacity of around twenty-seven, each in order to accommodate the ship's complement of 1,332 personnel. However, when the Necromorph infection reached the Ishimura, the entire shuttle battery was jettisoned, with no one on board any of the shuttles. By the time Isaac Clarke arrived, the only means of escaping the ship was a single damaged escape pod outside of the bridge, which was promptly jettisoned by Hammond to remove a Slasher. The Ishimura also carried a small compliment of mining shuttles for transportation, but these were either destroyed or also remotely jettisoned by the time the Kellion arrived. *'Filtration Systems' :The Filtration Systems transport all of the ship's the waste to the Water Treatment Facility. The Filtration System is composed of large, interconnected chambers and pipes which run under various decks, such as Medical and Hydroponics. On the ceiling of these pipes are smaller tubes from which waste is deposited. Extraction fans and filters are then used to remove the fumes, rendering the air breathable. The pipes also contain elevated walkways and doors to allow access without the need to come in contact with the waste. The Filtration System also utilizes various air filtration processes to purify contaminated oxygen or recycle carbon dioxide. This air is then dispersed throughout the ship via ventilation systems.Dead Space: Extraction: Chapter 6: Nowhere To Hide *'Quarantine System' :Important areas on the Ishimura are equipped with sensors which detect contaminants, such as Necromorphs . When one or more of these is detected, the area is locked down until the threat is removed. Both the Aegis VII Colony and the Valor also had a similar system suggesting that this is standard among structures and starships. *'Tram System' The reasons for bringing EarthGov,P-Secs and CEC spent milions to build Ishimura and were not able to write off.They did not know (probably) what happend on Aegis 7 and on the ship and what is there.They thought only of their own wallet. :Due to the Ishimura's size, a tram system was built into the ship, allowing fast and easy access to each of the ship's sections. However, the system is single rail, so a single damaged tram will prevent travel throughout the ship. The floor of the tram's subway can be traversed, however. Trivia *According to the the artbook that is included in the special edition release of the first Dead Space, the length of the ship is roughly over 5,300 feet (Nearly one mile, or 1.6 kilometers) long from stern to bow. The width remains unknown. with a height of roughly 1,550 feet (0.47 km). *The Japanese meaning of Ishimura is "Rock Village," a title appropriate for the vessel's purpose. Additionally, the presence of Japanese markings throughout the ship, most notably on the ship logo, suggest either heavy Japanese influence or direct Japanese-based construction. *'USG' stands for United Spacefaring Guild.Dead Space Facebook Account *Aegis VII would have been the Ishimura's 35th (And possibly final, since it was to be decommissioned a year later.) planet crack, had it not been infected by the Necromorphs. The reason for its decommissioning is unknown, though the ship's age may have played a part in the CEC's decision to retire it. *Out of the entire crew, Gabe Weller, is the only known survivor; however, he dies later in Dead Space 2: Severed. *The Filtration Systems are where Chapter 6: Nowhere To Hide of Dead Space: Extraction take place and where the Urchin is encountered. *The Maintenance Deck is where Chapter 8: In The Hearts Of Men, the first part of Chapter 9: Escaping the Ishimura, and Chapter 10: Secrets And Salvation of Dead Space: Extraction take place. *A Dead Space 2 Achievement/Trophy "Operation!" can be achieved if the Player "Snares the Shard with the Ishimura" http://www.easyxbox360achievements.com/latest-news/1141-dead-space-2-achievements. (This refers to capturing the detached EarthGov sector where the Marker is being held.) *At the time of Nicole Brennan's employment onboard the Ishimura, the ship was to be decommissioned the following year. *In Chapter 10: Déjà Vu on the Ishimura (Dead Space 2), many save points, Stores, and Power Nodes from the first game can be found in the same locations on Engineering, Medical, and Bridge decks. While the save stations onboard retain their unique appearance from the first game, they now display the Titan Station holograph when activated. The Stores, however, are completely retrofitted, and match the appearance and inventory of those found on the station itself, a logical development owing to EarthGov's operations on the ship. *The whole ship appears to have been undergoing a retrofitting as well as a clean-up, as most of the ship's systems are interacted with differently than in the first game. *At the end of Chapter 10 (Dead Space 2), after activating the tethers in the Captain's Nest, Isaac uses an escape pod to get back to the Sprawl. Oddly enough, it is in the same position as the pod that Hammond launched in Chapter 4 of the first game, suggesting that EarthGov cleanup crews reinstalled escape pods for emergencies while working on the Ishimura. *Isaac also suffered hallucinations relating to the first game (Dead Space) while onboard the Ishimura. For example, after exiting the Gravity Centrifuge, a Drag Tentacle grabbed Isaac and slamed him to the ground before disappearing, leaving Isaac still standing. Isaac also experienced a Brute punching a hole through the glass as he approached the Bridge, but this was also a hallucination of said event from the first game. The windows were, in fact, sealed. *During the events of Dead Space 2, the Ishimura is already two years overdue for decommissioning. Yet, when Isaac returns, the ship is being cleaned up, seemingly for redeployment. Almost none of the ship's systems have been disabled (including the heavily damaged tram and centrifuge) and, most notably, the escape pods on the Bridge have been replaced. *Though it is assumed to be destroyed along with the rest of the Sprawl, it is possible that the ship managed to survive, as there is no absolutely definitive evidence for either outcome. *Before its official debut, one can see the Ishimura in Chapter 9: Transportation Preparation of Dead Space 2 by looking through the same window that can be decompressed prior to Isaac actually encountering it later on in the chapter. *In Dead Space 2, the earliest the Ishimura can be seen for a long period of time is in Chapter 7: Power from the Sun, when the player is required to re-align the Solar Array panels. If the player looks down at the Sprawl, they can see that the Ishimura is docked on one of the three cross over rails connecting the station to Titan. Although, in Chapter 5: Cold and Cryptic while encountering the Tormenter when it knocks the player out into space, before they have to shoot a gas canister, the player can see the Ishimura for a split second before Isaac grabs onto the underbelly of the gunship. *The name plate for the Ishimura differs during Dead Space: Downfall and Dead Space 2. In Downfall, it simly appears as normal text, with the CEC logo next to it. However in Dead Space 2, the writing is luminous and the logo is not visible. *The inventor of the ShockPoint Drive engine and source of the ship's name Hideki Ishimura is mentioned in the book Dead Space: Martyr as one of Michael Altman's research assistants. It isn't stated, but it seems likely that Ishimura was one of the few who was evacuated from the DredgerCorp research rig. *In the game Saints Row: The Third, if you go to the back of the rear platform of any ship in the game, and zoom in on the piece of paper on the wall, it will give a list of missing ships, the USG Ishimura is featured on that list as an easter egg. *The Ishimura had 50 escape shuttles which when launched were all empty, save for one, probably by Kyne or Dr. Mercer. *Due to the size of the explosion of the Sprawl and how close the Ishimura was to the station, it is highly doubtful it could have survived, as indicated by the EarthGov operatives reporting to the Overseer that the Sprawl was completely destroyed. Gallery File:Dead-space-0056.jpg|A closeup of the Ishimura's Bridge. File:Concept_ishimura_in_profile.jpg|The hull of the starship. File:Dead-space-20080729042426407_thumb_ign.jpg|Bottom view of the ship File:Loading_screen_01.jpg|The different parts of the USG Ishimura as shown in a loading screen. File:Join_the_team.jpg|A poster aboard the USG Ishimura. File:Remember the Ishimura.jpg|A memorial poster titled "Remember the Ishimura" aboard the Sprawl. IshimuraInDS2.png|A glimpse of the Ishimura in recent gameplay (USM Valor damage spotted on the left engine) File:Extraction - Ishimura.jpg|The Ishimura in Dead Space: Extraction. File:ShipComparison.jpg|The USG Ishimura's size compared to the other ships in Dead Space. File:Ishimura Dead in Space.jpg|Ishimura dead in Space. File:Salvage - Poster04.jpg|The Ishimura in the art of Dead Space: Salvage. Ddspc2-20120114-152341.png|The USG Ishimura docked to the Sprawl, undergoing a cleanup and retrofit. Sources *''Dead Space'' *''Dead Space 2'' *''Dead Space: Downfall'' *''Dead Space: Salvage'' References Ishimura